Posts Tagged ‘commuting’

(Is that an intentional action, or do you just nor prefer to do yard work when it’s so similar to what you do for a living?)

Both, I guess. I’m definitely a firm believer in supporting habitat for native and migrating animals. The best way to create a healthy and natural place for them to eat and find shelter is to maintain indigenous plant and tree life. Which doesn’t require much work because those are the species that want to live here anyways. Plus I think the tall grasses and spindly trees and rocky creek beds of this area are beautiful. Much more so than a perfectly green lawn and symmetrical beds of store-bought flowers and a team of hired labor to come on Sunday mornings and run lawn-mowers and leaf-blowers and edge-trimmers and all that junk. But I do do a little garden work. I grow a few tomatoes and lettuce and beans. It’s nicer to walk out back and grab some of that for dinner than shove my way through the over-bright and over-crowded grocery store stocked with way too much food that people don’t eat. Like cacao covered juju berries and crap like that for about $40 an ounce. I’m sure that’s an “essential part of my nutrition.” Keep me away from all that noise. That’s another reason I keep my property wild – when I’m finally back from all the racket of the streets and highways, lord knows I don’t need to start raising a ruckus of my own.

(So, do you live far away from where you work?)

Well. Yes.

I love where I live, and I love where I work. And the only problem is the distance between them. Most people commute to work, but I’ve been there before, and I can’t stand the thought of being another mindless drone on the road, a part of the endless line of rubber on asphalt. While driving, I tune out to everything around me, sheltered by the bubble of my car, aware of only my own insular thoughts. When you’ve driven a route thousands of times, you don’t even have to consciously turn the blinker on for your exit. And don’t even get me started on single occupancy drivers in their gas-powered tanks. Talk about waste. So I swore to myself that I would never do that again. And now I take the bus to work. Sure, it adds a lot of time to my commute, but I don’t mind. The refreshing walk to and from the bus stop. Saving myself from the hassle of trips to the DMV. And I even get to sit by the big window and watch the world swirl. Tree branches melt together with people and bikes and sunshine and clouds in the window, like they were thrown together in a big blender, complete with the sound of rumbling. And then I step off and breath new un-circulated air and head to work; rubber boots on, hat in hand. At the end of the day, I walk to the stop on the other side of the street. It’s actually one of my favorite parts of the day. Most people who take this bus complain that the line doesn’t come often enough, that they are petitioning for more pickup times. But I enjoy the wait. There’s a huge cottonwood tree right by the bench, its leaves flutter down to sit next to me. Birds come and go like tenants in a New York city apartment, and squirrels display acrobatics like monkeys in the tropics. And trees, well, maybe I have more trees for friends than the average person, but trees just exude a sense of calm and steadfastness that I have come to really appreciate as an antidote to speeding traffic and the impatience of plastic.

Welcome to the beginnings of a novel,
JOY LIKE CUCUMBERS!
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Please note: THIS IS A FIRST DRAFT!
This novel is being written in blog format with the specific intention of the readers being able to provide input and commentary throughout the progress of the book. Please tell me what you think! Suggestions, comments, ideas all appreciated.

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Note:
The art at the top of the page is a table design painted by Thea Tenenbaum and Raffaele Malferrari.
See: thealelepottery.com
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The words and images on this site are original intellectual property of Ingrid Hannan, unless otherwise noted. Three cheers for being unique!